GREENVILLE, S.C. — The 2026 college football season will officially take flight in the Upstate Thursday night with an inaugural meeting between two local teams just 35 miles apart.
In a matchup between two head coaches who were both college and high school teammates from Commerce, Ga., the Furman Paladins will host NCAA Division II Anderson University at Paladin Stadium with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
Led by head coach Clay Hendrix, the Paladins will begin their 121st season of college football, while Anderson opens just its third season in program history under the tutelage of former Furman head coach and standout quarterback Bobby Lamb.
Hendrix and Lamb took recruiting trips to Furman together and played on some of the greatest Paladin teams in school history. It’s sure to be a special evening for the two close friends tomorrow night – at least until kickoff.
“It’s gonna be a big game and our kids are excited to go over and play,” Lamb said of the chance to take on Furman. “Obviously, we’re playing a level up and we have nothing to lose. As I told (Clay) on the phone, we’re just little ‘ol Anderson who will just show up and play ball.”
Like so many around the Furman program, Hendrix is excited to welcome Lamb back to campus.
“It’s awesome to get (Bobby) back and I want to try to find a way to honor him,” Hendrix said. “I know he has a bunch of new faces. And the first games are always a little odd because I’m sure we’re going to look a little different, too. Everybody makes some changes with Xs and Os and also with personnel. But you can just tell they are well coached, their kids play hard and they have some talent.”
Lamb served as head coach of the Paladins from 2002-2010 and won the 2004 Southern Conference title, while taking four Paladin teams to the NCAA I-AA Playoffs during his tenure. The 2004 squad is considered by many to be one of the greatest teams in school history.
Furman went 10-3 that season with a pair of close regular season losses, falling at Pittsburgh 41-38 in OT and two weeks later 30-29 at then SoCon foe Appalachian State.
Entering the 2004 FCS Playoffs, as the No. 2 overall seed, Furman was deep in James Madison territory leading 13-7 with less than six minutes remaining. A touchdown would have shut the door but instead, the Paladins had a field goal blocked and the Dukes took over, driving the length of the field to score the go-ahead TD with 28 seconds left to stun Furman 14-13.
Led by Florida transfer quarterback Ingle Martin and motivated by the previous season’s heartbreak, Furman advanced to the semifinals of the 2005 FCS Playoffs. Driving late in the fourth quarter for the go-ahead score, Martin fumbled and ASU recovered the football to end another deep playoff run for the Paladins.
Lamb’s final season at Furman came in 2010. Three years later, he took over at Mercer and went on to lead the Bears for seven seasons (2013-19).
The SoCon Player of the Year in 1985 when Furman lost a heartbreaker 44-42 to Georgia Southern in the I-AA National Championship Game, Lamb knows a thing or two about knocking off the big boys as a player. The Paladins defeated Georgia Tech, N.C. State (twice) and the South Carolina Gamecocks during his time under center. And Anderson will be a significant underdog in their first matchup with a SoCon or FCS opponent in their short program history.
“That’s one of the intriguing things about it, we can be over there in 45 minutes, so we’ll load the buses and go play,” Lamb said. “I am hopeful that we will have half of Anderson over there at that game. It’s just an easy game to get to and a big game there at Furman.”
Furman returns 10 starters from a team that went 6-6 a year ago and is led by 2025 All-American and 2026 SoCon Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Joshua Stoneking. The defensive end was the FCS leader in sacks (14.5) and tackles for a loss (23) last season, and he anchors a defensive line that’s expected to be the strength of the Paladins’ defense, along with standout defensive tackles Demetrius Baldwin and Eli Lipscomb.
Offensively, the Paladins are turning to transfer quarterback Jake Garcia to lead the offense. Garcia has been all over the place during his well-traveled career, throwing for 1,426 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024 at East Carolina before transferring and serving as a backup at Michigan last season.
Hendrix said the choice wasn’t clear-cut as the QB battle played out in preseason camp, but Garcia’s experience and leadership slowly began to shine through and rise to the top.
“His talent was pretty obvious. I was just really pleased. And to be honest in some ways, I think it was better the way it played out,” Hendrix said. “There’s been competition and we had four guys and they all did really good things. At some point, you have to make that decision.
“I think how (Jake) handled himself from the day he got here and he’s just worked. That old saying about wanting to be liked or respected, I think he is both liked and respected. I think the kids respected how he came in and he’s got that personality where he just came to work. He has put in the time off the field as well.”
Anderson went 5-6 last season, opening with three-straight wins before closing the 2025 campaign with four-straight losses as the offense sputtered down the stretch. The Trojans have a pair of quarterbacks battling for the starting job, but Lamb wouldn’t tip his hand on the direction his coaching staff was leaning ahead of the opener.
“Wilson Edwards came in as a walk-on and has worked his way up the ladder,” Lamb said. “He’s from Jacksonville and started the last two games for us last year. He’s in a battle with Seth Smith, who played at Valdosta State and Spartanburg High School. He signed with Marshall out of high school and then ended up at Valdosta State. Those two will continue to battle it out.”
Hendrix has been impressed with the way Lamb has built the Anderson program, much the same way when he helped Mercer restart its program in 2013 after being dormant for more than 70 years.
“I actually went over there two springs ago and watched one day when they were scrimmaging. I called them and said I’m coming and we had no idea that we were gonna play,” Hendrix said. “What they did, it really reminds me of Furman when I was here as a student and younger coach; you just get that vibe when you’re around a younger group. You can tell it’s important to them. They went about it the right way when they built the facility. It’s impressive.”
The Ingles Fan Zone will kick start the pregame festivities at 4 p.m., with gates opening at 5 p.m. Tickets are available at Furman’s Timmons Arena box office, which are located at the Champions Walk Gate (home side) and East Stands Gate (visitors side) at Paladin Stadium.